Tavern Rumors of Peltarch
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having heard the news from a giant talking boar, Rary heads to the glen to investigate
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The local rumor mill is buzzing lately with word that the local druid circle - for so long merely part of the background of events in the Rawlinswood and Narfell as a whole - has suddenly felt a devastating blow. Though the exact number is somewhat hazy, it seems that several of the circle's elders were recently killed.
Exact numbers are scarce, with some saying only two to three elders fell, while other more dramatic rumors state that the entire elder council was wiped out. The truth, most likely, is somewhere in the middle.
What is certain, though, is that the circle just endured a sucker punch the likes of which it's not seen since the Defiler War.
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Word quickly spreads that the infamous criminal Abigail Blackwood has, for some undisclosed reason, been released from the Peltarch Gaol. What chain of events led to this is uncertain, however an unknown man was seen meeting with the magistracy immediately before her release was secured.
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_Somewhat confused rumors circulate about a chaotic occurrence beneath the city in its catacombs and sewers.
To hear some tell it, a group of adventurers was sent below to scout out duergar movements which seemed to threaten encroachment upon city territory. To hear_ others _tell it, the group was robbing graves in the catacombs.
Whatever the truth on that point, what is not in dispute is that both groups encountered some very angry spirits, and that two people were apparently briefly turned into ghouls before being returned to life by the priestess of Lathander in the Docks District's lighthouse temple._
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An unusual darkness settled over the City Center during daytime a few days or so ago. Cerulean Shesarai was seen moving around the walls and streets looking at rooftops and checking for unusual tracks. Elyl Wefneren joined her in the Commons and the two kept vigil all night. The unusual darkness lingered into the next morning but was not observed in either the Docks or Residential Districts. Nothing was discovered, however.
AubreyMaturin
Characters: Romulus Grey, bard the bowman
Trotter, spooky halfling ranger
Shesarai Foutopolis, red-haired cleric of Mystra
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Defenders and guards flocked outside the Bardic College after an unholy screech of sound reverberated from the rooftop repeatedly, followed by a loud and booming voice excitedly declaring
"VanoogleaskingofPeltarchletthebardicruleBEGINHAHAA!"
Cerulean Knight Sheserai and Defender Reyhenna Jorino was sent up to deal with the disturbance, returning with bardess Isolde Garibaldi in tow. The incident seems to have been passed off as a harmless prank or a "test" of some sort, though Captain Sally Williams was decidedly less than pleased.
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_Word has spread quickly that Atel, the halfling bard has apparently returned from whatever happened. Outside of her close friends, she has told no one about the events that happened that night, or her four day disappearance.
What can be seen is that she has a much more youthful appearance than she had before the event, and is somewhat more withdrawn than she used to be._
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_*Word spreads around Peltarch about a new face recently seen within the city: an attractive, if somewhat shy woman with vibrant red hair who claims to be a hedge wizard.
While that in itself is nothing out of the ordinary, what_ is unusual is that this hedge wizard identifies herself as the granddaughter of notable bardic college alumnus Lilly Laer, and the daughter of Third Star Cerulean Knight Serenity Laer.
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Rumor has it that late last night there was a brilliant flash of wind and light from one of the rooms of the Bardic College, and when it was investigated it seemed to have come from the room of one Atel Vai'sini, one of the resident halfling troublemakers.
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Gossip around the Residential district may note House Hemway recieving a visit first by the city Herald, then bardess Isolde Garibaldi in the company of the well-known ranger - and some say lord - Rasuil Delagim. Both were finely dressed, and might be overheard mentioning tea and crumpets on their way over to the estate.
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Talk of House Hemway among the gossips and rumor-mongers reveals two trends. First, there are whispers of the fact that house Hemway provided funds to Talbot Anderson prior to his treason. Whispers calling the noble house "traitors" and "false" abound by much of the city's elite as well as its lower class. Many persons are seen loitering near the Hemway house, spitting on its porch, or throwing stones at its walls.
Second, there are those who mumble about house Hemway's recent acquisition of swords, armors, and shields. They say that the equipment was donated to the Defenders, who could have used the funds. Some claim this is just another example of house Hemway using its funds to try to buy their way into political favor. Others claim that the donation was well needed and welcome. The defenders have yet to issue a statement.
[DM Xanatos Gambit]
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_In the days following the most recent automaton assault on the city, Narfell's handsomest battlemage frequents the College to offer strength and haste spells to aid those in the cleanup efforts.
At one point, he takes aside Olil, Sprocket, and Vanoogle, disappearing with them for some time. What exactly his business is with them remains unclear._
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The rumor mill churns once again, this time spreading varied tales of a massive, shadowy form soaring briefly above the skies of the city. While some speculate the form was a bird larger than City Hall itself, one figure amidst the chatter claims to have met the creature face to face.
The old Wolf, Rasuil, confirms that the figure seen briefly above the city was that of a massive black dragon. His version claims that the creature landed near his home at the Crossroads of the Nars and, after a brief exchange of words, the dragon made a hasty northern exit.
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_Come the morning, a bloodied Kaitlyn returns from the swamps struggling from sword and arrow wounds while carrying a dead man in her arms. It is noticeable how despite her battle wounds, her own blade does not seem to have been brandished at all, as it remains free of bloodstains, gleaming against the dawning sunbeams.
A halfling seemed to be waiting around the commons, who is offered the dead man's body along with two smaller items brought by Whisper, who had just stepped out of the shadows. After a short exchange, all three individuals part in different directions, Whisper disappearing southwards, the halfling taking the body with him towards the Temple of the Triad, and Kaitlyn making her own way towards her home in the Residential District._
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A pair of attacks on the city gates by clockwork soldiers presaged an all out assault by a much larger force on the Bardic College itself. While the invaders were repulsed from the building, it seems that several students were killed in the onslaught…with only about half of that number being resurrected. In the aftermath, a large force of Defenders was seen entering the building to secure the premesis led by Captain Sally Williams.
For now, however, the building appears to be in complete disarray.
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_Dark days for Peltarch as alarm bells rang out from the western gates, heralding the arrival of the traitor Talbot Anderson's first assault upon the Jewel's walls. In wave after wave, the former Defender troops attacked, breaking the gates down with battering rams - yet none are said to have made it into the city proper, successfully bottlenecked and cut down by a mix of adventurers and loyal Defenders under Captain Sally William's leadership.
Sally Williams, the woman the traitor Anderson left in charge… rumour has it Carl Tusker attempted to sway Williams to her former loyalties, but instead the Captain took a fierce stand at the gates, cutting down countless of the city's enemies and almost paying with her life.
Lastly, there are horrified rumours and frightened whispers, all noting the strange mechanical implants of the fallen renegade soldiers. Black metal plates and red buzzing wires...
A reddish, murky gloom is said to have settled over the battle field itself, adding an omnious doomsday feel to the already grim scene._
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A reasonably-sized party of adventurers consisting of Elvadriel, Roslyn, Artemis, Nathen (the guard, not the bard!), and Shesarai were seen leaving the western gates of the city a day or so past.
Whatever they had planned, however, didn't last long. The group was seen returning perhaps an hour or so later, with Nathen carrying Shesarai's lifeless body. While reports are that she was returned to life, the party seemed eager to find other things to do afterwards.
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While the traitor Talbot Anderson is no doubt the talk of the town, Peltarch's sleuth of other problems continue unabated. The hauntingly melancholy notes of a violin filled the night air once again, this time as rumours have it, from the roof of the Bardic College. Is the notorious Ashald Park killer striking the College next - or is the killer one of the bards themselves? Have the vampires infiltrated the bardic institution, making thralls of them all?
"Cahoots!", cry the fearful, pointing shaking fingers of blame. Towards the College, towards the government, left and right in increasing panic…
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Rumors spread that the eccentric and strange-speaking Louis Auldreyyus has gone missing. Nobody has seen him or heard of him in some time. Many say he's skipped town or simply moved away from Peltarch. Some say that the odd information trader dealt with the wrong people and met an untimely end. Others scoff at the idea and say that he's probably simply away on business.
[DM Xanatos Gambit]
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_Rumours abound about Reyhenna Jorino, former Bardic College guard turned demonic arch-villainess, having not only been released from her imprisonment, but set to work for the city!
Some shocked murmurs suggest the nefarious blonde was sentenced to serve time in the city orphanage (gasp - didn't she KILL a child? Won't someone think about the children!). Others insist that Reyhenna Jorino, responsible for the loss of so many brave soldiers, is now a Defender herself!
Regardless of which, anyone living in or near the western gate will have noted a massive onslaught of orcs recently, attacking with vicious force, battering rams and several catapults raining fire down on and beyond the walls.
Said orcs, claims a certain crimson-haired bard, had a ~gargantuan~ leader, so large that he scaled the ramparts in a fit of rage at his hordes defeat by the hands of several brave adventurers and heroic Defenders - including, the bard notes imperatively, one Reyhenna Jorino…_
